:.....;

THAT SJ\tIALL STANDARD PLAYER ACTION

IHE above picture was taken at the Convention of theN. A. P. T. in Chicago last August. The small type

, o~ action, made ~specially to fit the n~w, small ~layer­

, .. Plano, was examIned by hundreds of Interested funersand received from them an unanimous O.K.

No better advice could be given the dwellers in small apart­ments, who are in the mark~t for a Piano, than to purchasea small prayer-Piano equipped with the Standard PlayerAction.

This advice may be offered with the utmost confidence: forthe construction of this small action is such that its relia­bility, as well as its durability, is assured.

STANDARD PNEUMATIC ACTION CO..,.

\ .'," 638 West S~~d St.

\V. A. Mennie, Pres.::--Jew York City

~l1

JI

Ii\I

/

/

Vol. 12, No. 10 October 1926

Contents Copyrighted 1926 by Standard Pneumatic Action Company

DEMONSTRATING YOUR GOODS

.j:1I

j

IHE ability to demonstrate one's goodsis a mark of good salesmanship.

Almost every prospective customer,'. like the man from Missouri "has to. . be shown.", The Player-Piano Playing Contest

inaugurated by our companY.at the Conven­tion of the N. A. P. T. in Chicago, came in fora lot of complimentary comment, not onlyfrom the Tuners but from the journals ofThe Music Trade.

The consensus of opinion is that the abilityto fitly demonstrate the Player is not only amark of good salesmanship, but it is a:lsonecessary in order to "keep the player sold"after it has been bought.

The Player-Piano is not a mechanical in­strument. The player-action does do awaywith the necessity of learning to play manu­ally, if one has neither the time nor the

To the Tuners of the Eastern States.Next year the N. A. P. T. Convention is to be

held in New York City. Many of your fel­low-craftsmen will journey to New York onthat occasion from the North, the South, andthe West. Will you be organized to give yourfellow-tuners the warm and friendly receptionthey anticipate? Will you attend that Con~en­tion in a body ? You will.

It may seem early to think about that whichis nine months away; but it isn't. The

inclination or ability to learn to play "byhand," but it does not enable one to get allthe beauties .out of a musical compositionlI.nless otle has learned how to use the Ex­pression Devices with which every goodplaye1' is equipped, and to properly use theI.readles.

Every Salesman and every Tuner shouldknow how to properly operate a Player, andshould be able and willing to communicate asmuch of that knowledge as possible to his cus­tomer and client.

A thorough realization of the Player-Piano'smusical possibilties only can be broadcasted tothe public in this way.

Mr. Tuner, Mr. Salesman, Mr. Dealer, theeducation of the public in the matter of thePlayer-Piano lies largely in your hands.vVhat are you doing to further that education?

Can YOU demonstrate your goods? .

months fly by mighty quickly, and now is thetime to plant that seed which will germinateinto one of the most glorious Conventions everhelcl,-exclusive of none.

Men of the Eastern States, we know YOIin"put it over."

I'll get to New York,If I have to walkIn 1927.

- A Californian Tuner.

4 Standard P1~rMonthly

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES-1Jl /OF FAMOUS COMPOSE~SJ

VERDI.

()R:\- in the humhIe village ofRoncole, Italy, tbe son of aI'inn··keeper, Gusieppe FortuninoFrancesco Verdi lived to give to

the musical world a great num­ber of melodies which will long

survive. It has been said that "lives ofmen of genius are usually short"; butthere is little truth in the saying. Verdilived to the ripe old age of eighty-eight:he was born October 10th, 1813, anddied in 1901.

\Vhen he was ten years old be becameorganist for a small church in the villageof Roncole. being paid the munificientsalary of six dollars a year.

Leaving his native village to enterbusiness in the near-by town of Busseto,with a merchant by the name of AntonioBarezzi, he was fortunate in comingunder the roof of one who could appre­ciate nmsical ability, for Barezzi was athorough musician. \Vhile in the smalltown of Busseto, Verdi studied underthe "singing master" of the cathedraland conductor of the municipal orches­tra, one Giovanni Provesi. Here theyoung genius found the first outlet forhis talent, composing many pieces of alighter order which were played by themunicipal orchestra.

At the age of sixteen. funds weresecured to send him to Milan, there tocontinue his studies at the Conservatoryof 1\1usic. In his efforts to enter thishall of learning he was unsuccessful; hewas turned down for not possessing suffi­cient musical ability, which in the lightof subsequent developments, seems in-

credible. But Verdi was not to be dis­couraged in this manner. He stayed inMilan and continued his studies underthe tutelage of Vincenzo Lavigna.

In 1833 his former teacher, GiovanniProvesi, died, ancl Verdi .returned toBusseto, where he became conductor ofthe municipal orchestra and organist ofthe church of San Bartolomeo.

After three or four years in this some­what unappreciative town Verdi wentback to Milan, where he composed hisfirst opera, Oberto, in 1839.

Shortly afterwards Verdi suffered agreat sorrow in the loss of his wife andtwo children, who all died within twomonths. Composing a comic opera undersuch distressing circumstances, UnClarno di Regno, his work at this period,might naturally be supposed to have beena failure.-and it was.

In 1842 Verdi wrote the opera, occa-

Standard P~rMonthly 5

sionally heard to-day, N abucodonosor ;and this work at once placed him in theforefront of Italian operatic composers.I Lombardi and Ernr..:ti followed, andwith the production of this latter operaVerdi at once became the most popularoperatic composer of Europe.

It would seem that his success at thisperiod weakened his genius, for not until1851 did he write any composition whichbore the imprint of his true talent.Then he produced Rigoletto, whichproved a popular triumph. Two yearslater the operas of It Trovatore and LaTraviata flowed from his pen.

The melodies from these three operasare known to this day, wherever music isknown and loved; and no song-bookcompilations of "songs we love" can becomplete without them.

Un Ballo in Maschere, La Forza delDestino, and Don Carlos, written later,were not as masterly in their composi­tion,-though bearing the impress of amaster hand,-neither were they aspopular.

In 1871 Verdi composed, for IsmailPascha, the Egyptian opera of Aida,which was produced in Cairo. Themusic of this opera shows masterly or­chestration together with beautiful melo­dies, and is loved by all musicians. Init the influence of Wagner is to beobserved.

Then, for some sixteen years, the masterproduced no operatic music worthy of hiscapable genius; but in 1887 the opera of"Otello" took the musical world bystorm. Falstaff, a comic opera, fol­lowed, and it, tV8, added to the fame ofVerdi.

To within a short time of his death,in 1901, the great composer continuedto produce; but in these later years camesacred compositions only. He was look­ing into, visioning, The Great Beyond.

The compositions of Verdi and allother masters of music can be played ona Player-Piano fitted with the StandardPlayer Action.

drawing was made by Mr. J. D. Allen,and the clipping from the paper, fromwhich this was copied, was sent in byMr. ]. B. Mitchell, Grand CentralTerminal.

The log is held just as it would beheld on the log carriage of a saw-mill.

We publish this to correct an incor­rect drawing formerly published. Woodin "Standard Player Actions" is quarter­sawed in order to give a smooth board,free from knots.

"Why did you stop advertising" askedQuericus.

"It durn near ruined me," answeredthe small-town store-keeper. "Peoplecame in an' bought nearly everything Ihad in the store. Cost me a hull lot tofill up the shelves again.'·

Lady, politely, to caller: "Have achair."

Caller : "No: I've come for the piano."

A------,7~

@Ano/her,10th mi. h,,,mis G) Anolhu eighth inlo hoards

® Anolh'ir ("19M/, inlo hoards

~~!J) Halving lhe 1"9 Q) An ei0th into hoalds

~

QUARTER.SAWED LUMBER

Here is an illustration of the methodof "quarter-sawing" a log, copied fromthe Southern Lumberman, issue ofNovember 15th, 1886. The original

6 Standard Pl~rMonthly

Building Up a Tuning BusinessSome BIG Little Thoughts Supplied by E. D. Kains, Tuner of Wyomissing, Penn.

E. D. Kains was the first-prize win­ner in the Player-Piano Playing Contestheld at the N. A. P. T. Convention inAugust. He carried away a large. finelyengraved loving-cup, awarded by the"Standard." Besides knowing how todemonstrate a Player-Piano, E. D. Kainsknows how to advertise in a digniiieJ andefficient manner.

The following "notes" show carefultuning, and other progressive tunersmight do well to let their prospectiveclients hear them:-

According to popular belief, a piano that isnot used does not need tuning. This is nottrue; and often leads to permanent injuryof the instrument.

Regular tuning produces these three big re­suits: The best qualities of the piano arebrought out, the delicate adjustments are main­tained, the original beauty of tone is preserved.

Many people believe their doctor, and takecare of themselves; but refuse to believe theirtuner and take care of their pianos.

A well-tuned piano is a help to the student,an inspiration to the finished performer, and ajoy to the neighbors.

Lack of care injures a piano more than hardusage. Piano care means chiefly RegularTuning.

When a piano is regularly tuned, a.nd musicalfriends call, there is no need for apologies,and they will play without coaxing.

It is not an exaggeration to state that theaverage piano is good for double the length ofservice it usually gives. Stated another way,with regular care by an expert tuner, a pianowill be in better condition at the end of twentyyears than most pianos, neglected, are at theend of ten.

A motor-car costs less for up-keep when itis kept tuned up. A watch keeps better timeand lasts much longer if regularly cleaned. Itis equally important that the owner of a pianoor player-piano should take a real interest inkeeping his instrument in like condition.

Mr. Kains also has a card, which he sendsout first-class mail to his clients. III reads:

This is a reminder that your pianowas tuned by me --- ago.

The preservation of a piano dependsvery largely upon regular tuning, anda good rule to follow is to have ittuned not less often than once a year.

May I hear from you by postal ortelephone, before the end of this week,so that my next week's program may

be arranged to the best advantage?Thanking you for past favors,

E. D. KAINS

Vie are sure that many tuners might profitby the use of the hints herewith supplied.

We would accentuate the fact that all of Mr.Kains' advertising is well-pri.llted, ood on ann'cellent quality of pa,per or card stock.

OUR MONTHLY HOROSCOPEOctober

I!F you were born in October consideryourself lucky. You mightn't havebeen born at all: then see whatyou'd have missed. People born inOctober are born under the sign ofThe Scorpion. Their lucky stone isthe Opal.

Scorpions have stings: but it isn't con­sidered "good form" to carry your stingwith you: neither is it good policy. Scor­pions, unless molested, don't use their stingexcept for the purpose of killing their prey.The Scorpion is a nocturnal beastie: butgentlemen born in October, who stay outlate o'nights are called "night owls," It isconsidered unlucky for Scorpions to stayout late at night, playing "poker"-and tolose.

Business men born in October will un­doubtedly be successful if they succeed."Don't sting a customer," is a slogan of theGood Little Scorpion Society.

There are many lucky days in October.Try them all.

Wearing opals should be practised by allScorpions: it is good for business to wearopals: good for the jewelry business.

"He made a particularly good after­dinner speech."

"What did he say?""I'll pay the check."

Salesman, demonstrating car. "NowI'll throw in the clutch."

Buyer. "I'll take her. Knew if Iheld off buying long enough you'd giveme something for nothing."

A man bought all the gasoline-savingdevices on the market, and attached themto his car. Now he has to stop every fewmiles to hale out the gasoline tank, tokeep it from overflowing.

Standard P~rMonthly 7

The Tenth of a Series of Articles on the Reproducing Piano

The Switches

-~SELECTOR

GOVERNOR

"TO SELECTOR

.-/", ~~~~~ENDO" OFF

TRACKERHOLE NO.10 REROLLTREBLE ••END .....

is switched to "reroll" when playing the88-note roll. It must be :rememberedthat there is no perforation for "reroll"on an 88-note roll: but this can easilyand readily be made by cutting out apiece of paper from the roll about twoinches long, after the last perforationon the roll has appeared. The cut-outneed be only deep enough to reach and

uncover No. 2hole 0 nth eTracker Bar,treble side,

The No. 10hole, used forthe "Welte"reroll, is cutoff completelybv the Trans­f~rming Switchwhile playing88-note rolls.

The accom­panying d i a ­g ram clearlyillustrates howa switch ismade from"crescendo off"to Loud Pedal.

o the rswitches willbe dealt within the n ext

Issue of Standard Player Monthly.

The difference between a Scotchmanand a boat is,-the boat tips.

A certain wife, clever and capable,placed a barometer instead of a thermo­meter in the mouth of her sick husband.The barometer registered "Very dry,"The lady immediately gave her hubby abottle of good beer and he at once beganto recover. (Now, altogether: Wheredid she get the good beer?) Apologiesto Brooklyn Eagle.

HOLE NO.3BASS END,CRESCENDO

OFF

"'ELECTRICREROLl....

.. ,

TRACKER,HOLENO.~

DIAGRAM SHO\IV'NG TRANSFORMERS"""ITC. ... AN D TUB E

CON N BCT'O.NS

fJN our last issue we wrote of theModulator Pneumatic and of theswitch which operates it. In this

. and following numbers we shalldescribe other switches, beginningwith The Transformer Switch.

The Transforming Switch is found atthe left side of the Spool Box. It is theuppermost switch of the three on thatside. Its pur-pose is to cutoff the various TO LOUD

• PEDAL CUT -OFFexpressIOn de- SWITCH •••. '.

vices fromcommunI­cation with thet r a c k e r Barwhen 88-notePlayer-rolls arebeing used,When this isdone, thePlayer - pianistgets his musi­cal expressionsb y operatingby h.a n d th eva rIO us ex­pression d e ­vices on thekey-bed. Thevarious expres­sions are thenobtained d i -rectly through the Expression Governor.

Only three tubes from the Tracker Barpass through the Transforming Switch.These are the holes governing, on theBass end, No.3, the "crescendo off" and,on the Treble end, No.2, the "mezzo­forte on," and No. 10, the reroll.

It is necessary that these tubes shouldpass through the Transforming Switch,because, when playing 88-note rolls, No.3 hole in the Tracker Bar must operatethe Loud Pedal, just as on the regularfoot-power player; and this is done byswitching the "crescendo off" to the LoudPedal. No. 2 hole, or "mezzoforte on,"

CountrieJ where th~tandard Player Action it".

HollandNo.10

a"/k Standard Player Monthlare Known antiEsteemed /'

AfricaAustraliaArgentinaAlaskaBarbadosBelgiumBermudaBoliviaBrazilCanadaCanary

IslandsChinaColombiaChileCubaDenmarkDominicaEgyptEcuadorEnglandFinlandFranceGermanyGuatemalaHawaii

HollandIndiaIrelandItalyJamaica,

B. W. I.JapanMexicoNorwayNicaraguaNew ZealandPortugalPorto RicoPeruPhilippine

IslandsSwitzerlandSpainScotlandSwedenSouth AfricaTrinidadTasmaniaUnited StatesUruguayVenezuelaWales

fiN this month's magazine we take a trip to Holland, theland of wind-mills, canals, sturdy men and handsomewomen.

The pictures here shown were sent through the kind-t ness of Mr. C. F. van der Does of The Hague.

:. Mr. van der Does tells us that "the Standard Playerholds itself very well in our country, which is very damp."

This certainly speaks well for our factory methods of preparingthe wood which goes into our actions. The kindly little noteswhich we receive from all over the world certainly make us proudof the work we're turning out.

The pictures above need no d.escription. Take a look at thosefine-looking Dutch girls on their- way to market. Don't they looksturdy-and pretty! At the left, lower corner, is the palace of

Holland's queen,-beloved of her people. Then, at the right,lower corner, is the Peace Palace we've heard so much about.

And, speaking of "Peace" reminds us that music is one of thegreatest influences for Peace in the world-unless it's "battlemusic."

We take this occasion, on behalf of our many readers, to thankMr. C. F. van der Does for his contribution to this page.

10 Standard Player Monthly

6diloY(alThe STANDARDPlayer MonthlyPublished Monthly by

THE STANDARD PNEUMATIC ACTION Co.638 W. S2D ST. NEW YORK CITY

English Representatives:THE PIANO ACCESSORIES, LTD.,

IS Mortimer Street, London, W.I.

Editorial Board:

W. A. MENNIE - - - - PresidentFRED A. BARROW - - - - - EditorA. K. GUTSOHN - - - - Technical Editor

BUSINESS AND THE LITTLEBROWN HEN

Somewhere or another we read thestory of the little brown hen and the oldred rooster.

There had been a dry spell of weather,and the old red rooster was complaining.

"The ground is hard and dry, and thereare no worms to be found. Very soonwe'll all starve to death," said the old redrooster to the little brown hen.

And the little brown hen simply "c1uck­clucked" and flew onto a grind-stone,where she proceeded to sharpen herclaws. Then she flew down from thegrind-stone and started to scratch at thehard-baked ground.

"You don't expect to find worms there,do you?" inquired the old red rooster.

But the little brown hen kept onscratching, and the rooster departed indisgust.

At the end of the day the two fowl

met. The rooster was suffering fromhunger, but the little brown hen had afull crop, and felt very happy and con­tented.

"How did you manage to get so manyworms?" asked the rooster.

"By scratching for them," said thelittle brown hen. "I had to do a lot ofscratching, and I had to dig deep, but Igot 'em. Good night." And she retiredto roost.

But we won't insult your intelligence,brother, by showing you the moral to thisshort story. You can see it at the firstglance.

Going South.

In this month of October there is migra­tion southward of certain feathered musicians.What is the reason for this? Is it becausethey cannot stand the cold weather? Or isit that they prefer the warm weather?

Personally we believe that the reason forthis annual excursion or migration is "lackof food." Se€ds, on which these songsterslive, are hard to be found in winter time;and insects, with which they eke out theirdaily rations, are just about as scarce asseeds. But the junco, the chicadee and thedowny woodpecker, as well 'as the nuthatch,see the winter through and manage to pickup a s'ubsistence; and, in the case of the chick­adee particuIarly, existence seems to be' pleas­urable enough.

To watch any of the winter birds gatheringtheir winter dinner impresses one with thepossibilities of making a living even amid ad­verse conditions-provided one is industriousto go after it. Their movements are. incessant.In the pursuit of the wherewithal they neverseem to tire; they seek,-and they find.

So it would seem that we, greater in intellectthan our feathered friends, ought to be ableto dig up or scratch up or pick out even morethan enough to keep us going and keep uscheerful. We don't have to "go South," orgo East or West for that matter, in orderto find a living, only under exceptional circum­stances. It's mostly a matter of earnest andfaithful seeking.

Standard Player Monthly 11

AMONGfRIENDS

Undtr Ihe above heading Ihere will be a page of yourmagazine each monlh, given 10 Ihe Publicahon ofleller3, wrilten in a friendly lone, on subjecls Dfinltresl to Ihe Tuning Ft'alet'nily genet'ally. Makeyour lellen as 3100'1 and friendly as possible. Limil

Ihem to aboll' 200 words if you ca".

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Dear Sirs:

For some time we have been recelvlllg theStandard Player Monthly, and we have foundit a great source of interest and education.\Ve trust we will receive same as long as itspubl ication continues.

\\le are the sole Victorian agents for the"Davenport-Treacy" pianos and player-pianos,all of which contain the "Standard" PlayerAction. Satisfaction is always assured when­ever an instrument containing this action issold bv us.

For ·example: Eighteen months ago we solda Da\·enport-Treacy Player Piano to a cus­tomer 200 miles from Melbourne, out on thecoast of the Southern Ocean. Ten monthsafter the purchase, the owner decided to leavethat district, for a period of 10 months, and toput the Player in storage. On returning thePlayer was again taken into the home; but rusthad ,et in very badly on all the metal partsof the piano. The mice had eaten the topsof the hammers and the felt of the ukuleleattachment. They had also started to buildnests under the keys.

The instrument was removed to our ware­house for repairs. The piano action was re­newed, and the rust removed. No oJtentio'lIwha.lr"i.'Cr was reqwired to the Pl,ayer Actiol1.as it was in perfect pla.yPl1g order. Theownercannot sing the praises of his Player -Pianoenough.

\\le thought the above would be of interest toyou, and show you how the "Standard" standsup to its work out here in Australia.

F. T. STUART.

departments of many piano factories in NewYork and the New England States.

My experience with the Standard PlayerAction goes to show that it holds up very well,does all that you claim for it, is very easyto get at and adjust.

Through thorough preparation for mywork I have confidence in myself, and thathas been of help to me, and has aided me inall the work which I have had to do, andwhich has been done satisfactorily.

Wishing you continued success, and assuringyou that I will always speak good words forthe "Standard."

Very truly yours,

ALLEN R. FICHTHORN.

Hiawatha, Kans.Dear Editor:

W'hen tuning a player piano recently inwestern Kansas, I was terribly puzzled for awhile as to why both pneumatics controlling thesoft pedal and also the sustaining pedal, werecollapsed or "on" all the time. After removingpneumatic stack and the keys, I found aboutfour inches of each of the lead tubes weregnawed out by mice.

Yours truly,

R. S. SINCLAIR

Cleveland, Ohio.Dear Editor:

Had a "Standard" A-type Player to tune,clean out and adjust, after eight years servicein a Behr Brothers player. It certainly playsin fine style after the little service required toreset it.

FRANK]. LYON.

Reading, Pennsylvania.Dear )'Ir. Editor:

Find enclosed a photo of mycar and of myself, which you mayuse ill the S.P.M. if you wish.

I graduated from the DanquardPlayer School about 1918, underthe capable instruction of Mr.Cheek. after courses in both foot­Jlower and reproducing players. Itook imther courses in tuning andgeneral piano work at theY.M.c..-\. School in Philadelphia,under )''lr. Schow. During thesummer of 1925 I Yisited the repai r

12 Standard Pli\ver Monthly

~u EST 10 N S__ ASKED AND (J~~ ~!"

\~ . ~ .. l

.- ~ (-ANSWERED

IMPORTANTWhen wrltin& to us about a Standard Action, will you be sure to letus have the Player Action Number, and the make of Playerpiano inwhich the action is installed? This information will eliminate muchdelay and will enable us to aive you very prompt service.

F. E. G. I mn a piano tuner and havea player which I cannot repair. I thoughtmaybe you could help me out. There isa leak some place and I cannot find it.When I pump, regardless of how hard,[ cannot get enough air into the upperaction to scarcely move the piano action.I have taken off the boards and screwedthem back on twice; the rubber connec­tions from the bellows to the upperaction do not seem to leak. When I dis­connect it from the upper action andpump, it does not leak. I do that byputting my hand over the rubber tubethen pump on the treadles. Then whenI connect it to the upper action, andpump, the air escapes almost as badly asif it were not connected at all. If youcan give me some information, I willappreciate it. The player action is not aStandard, unfortunately. If it were, Iam sure I could fi.v it, as I never had thatmuch trouble with a Standard action.

Answer: From the description, orexplanation you have given us, we believethe trouble can be located in the valvesystem. The valves are probably notseating properly, or it is possible that theyare not made of air-tight material. Of

course it may be that they are only ont ofregulation. It is also possible that thepouches operating the valves have becomeshrunken and stiff, particularly wouldthat be the case if the pouches were ofZephyr skin. We believe if you care­fully examine the action in places justmentioned, you might find the cause ofyour difficulty and also a remedy.

H. P. A. I am writing you in regardto your single valve top action installedin a --- piano. This player is veryhard to get started. The valves seem todrop away from the exhaust seat as soonas you stop treadling. I took the pouchboard off and found the holes in thefibre strip that guides the valve about1/16 inch larger than the va.~~!e stem.The valves seem to seat O. K. when heldup a little but when let go the bottompart drops away from the metal seat. Ittakes about 15 fast strokes of the treadlesto seat the v{lj.'ves and then the resistanceunder your feet is O. K. but you haveto keep going or the valves drop backagain. The piano is standing on a levelfioor. If you try to make the 88 notesplay by treadling with the lever at "Play"with no roll on the p.layer, you cannot

Standard PIa.ver Month\Y IS

make a note move as the valves seem tobe off both seats. Kindly advise me thebest procedure to overcome this trouble.I also rubbed down the pouches with nobetter results. There is some sign ofrust on the piano strings, but very little.

Answer: From your description webelieve that the front part of the sec­ondary valves have become rigid ontheir stems. This is most likely due tochanges of climatic conditions. We willnot endeavor to give you any suggestionshere as to how to effect a remedy. Asthis trouble seldom arises in our playeraction, we would prefer to have youremove the secondary valve and pouchboards, carefully pack them and returnto us for our inspection and repairs, sothat we can see for ourselves and alsoshow our valving and inspection depart­ments, the trouble.

A. C. I would like to inquire whycertain actions occasionally require fasterpumping than they ordinarily should.I am now working on several playerswhere it requires very fast pumping.The transmission and motor are in first­class condition. There does not :~eemto be any leaks in either top or bottOn!actions. If I pump slow:y it willhardly play,' if I stop between eachtreadle for a second, it stops playing. Itdoes not seem to be pulling enough airout of the top action. I did not findanything in your player book that Ithought would remedy the cause. I willappreciate any suggestions you mightgive me in regard to adjusting this.

Answer: Weare confident that thetrouble in these actions can most likelybe located in the valve system. It maybe due to the fact that the valves are notseating properly. This applies not onlyto our action, but it may also be the caseif the action is of another make. Again,your trouble may be caused by a generalseepage on the packing joints. If theaction is a Standard, you will find de­tailed instructions on how to affect thenecessary remedy, on pages 36 to 38inclusive, of our "Principles of PlayerAction Operation" book. These instruc-

tions are for the Standard Player Actiononly, inasmuch as the valve system onanother make would have to be studiedvery carefully in order to find out justwhat to do to adjust the valves. If theseepage would come in on the packingjoints of the action, the only thing wewould advise you to do, would be totighten up all the screws on the packingjoints, being careful not to "overdraw"them.

P. W. I am working on a singlevalve action 'which leaks very badly.The pouches have discs glued on themand the valve buttons have felt about1/32 inch thick at the ends. The pack­ing leather is glued on valve chamber.Should these buttons be regulated flUShwith straight edge when held acrossvalve chamber? Leather on exhaustseats of valves is very hard. Would thishave to be renewed?

Answer: As to action, not of our makewhich, according to your description,leaks very badly. You state that thepouches have discs glued on them andthat the valves have felt punchings at· theend of the buttons. We cannot recog­nize the make of this action. It seemsto us that the trouble is in the valvesystem. Therefore, either the valvesthemselves have warped, or the seats ofthem have accumulated a certain amountof dust. If they are metal, they mayhave become corroded, or else the buttonon the end of the valve stem comes tooclose to the pouch. If valves are prop­erly seated at their inner seats andpouches are deflated, there should be aclearance between the pouches and valvestem button of at least 1/16 of an inch.I f that shouldn't be the case in this ac­tion, we would advise that you turn thebutton down, or else, if the pouch mighthave become stiff, we would advise toeither replace, or manipulate with thefingers so that this would bring it backto its original pliability. In this case, itmight prove to be effective.

14 Standard PJayer Monthly

•The following men answered the Au­

gust questions, but their answers werereceived too late to be given credit in theSeptember issue of the magazine.

C. E. Forsythe, Dayton, Ohio.O. MacCollum, So. Williamsport, Penn.K. Reuter, Green Isle, Minn.

The fo:lowing are the names of thosewho answered the September questions:

G. Felsheim, Arcadia, Wise.P. J. Gaffney, Troy, N. Y.P. Wascher, Frackville, Pa.W. Meadors, Pekin, Ind.S. Molyneux, What Cheer, Iowa.A. R. Fichthorn, Reading, Pa.F. E. Falk, Hinton, Okla.H. Luginbuhl, Toledo, Ohio.T. Solberg, Stamford, Ct.W. C. Case, Alliance, Ohio.M. J. F. Corrar, Brooklyn, N. Y.F. J. Lyon, Cleveland, Ohio.

Here are the answers to last month'squestions:

Question No. 1 How would you ex­plain the cause of "noise" and "poorrepetition" which is due to excessive playin either primary or secondary valves?

Answer: The excessive stroke of thevalves causes them to seat with a "pound­ing" noise. The valves not seating asfirmly as they should, would allow slowleakage and consequently there would bepoor repetition.

Question No.2. If the right treadle"kicked back" when pumping to whichfeeder would you look for the cause?To what part of it?

Answer: The inside palate-valve ofleft feeder, leaking, would be the causeof this trouble.

Question No.3. A piano hammergoes forward but does not come back.What is the probable cause of this?

Answer: Either something is wrongwith the piano action; a valve in theplayer action is stuck; or a bleed isstopped up, causing the pneumatic con­trolling that particular hammer to re­main collapsed thus holding hammer for­ward; or a hole in the tracker tubing.

Question No. 4 OccasionaIlv onemay discover a hissing sound 'at thetracker-bar. What would you say wasthe cause?

Answer: A hissing sound at ,thetracker-bar would indicate that atmos­pheric air was leaking into some portionof the action held under reduced air.The cause would most likely be enlargedbleeds, porous or leaky pouches.

Question No.5. Will slow treadlingretard the tempo of a selection?

Answer: No, the purpose of the gover­nor is to control the tempo under eitherlight or heavy treadling, and the temposhould remain "as set."

October Questions

Two ·'Trick" Questions

Question No. 1. A hammer strikesweakly. The piano action is O. K.Where would you look for the cause inthe player action?

Question No.2. There is a leak inthe tube leading to the loud pedal pneu­matic pouch. What defect would thiscause in the action?

Question No.3. A pneumatic workssluggishly. It is assumed that the chan­nel to the pneumatic is blocked. "'hatmight cause this stoppage?

Question No.4. Why does a piayerslow down in the tempo when one pumpslightly?

Question No.5. If a customer com­plains that a certain roll does not trackproperly, where would you look for thecause?

Standaftl P~rMonth\y 15

These Want Ads. are Printed Free of Charge

WANTED ,•

where. Thirty-five years' experience in bothfactory and outside work, on Players andReproducers. Reasonable salary. 'Want Col­umn No. 1263.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Send in your ad­vertisements before the fifteenth of the monthto insure insertion in the edition of the firstmonth following. Want ads. received afterthe fifteenth will have to appear in the editionof the second month following.

POSITIONS WANTED

First class Tuner and Playerman. Reproducerexpert. Now employed. Desires permanentposition with reliable firm, where ability andresults are appreciated. Can furnish best ofreferences. Want Column No. 1256.

Salesman and Salesmanager desires positionwith Piano Company in Penna, New Yorkor New Jersey. Age 29. Experienced. Capa­ble of managing sales force. Good chaser.Willing to start $40.00 per week and com­mission. Have own car. If you need a livewire piano man-write Want Column No.1257.

Piano Tuner and Playerman wishes positIonwith responsible music house. Reli3lble incharacter and ability. Age 29. Want Col­umn No. 1258.

Piano Tuner, Repairman and Player Mechanicwishes an "independent" location. Will dodealer work satisfactorily. Anywhere in "theEast." Want Column No. 1259.

Manager for Repair department. Experienced.Wishes to connect with good Piano house tomanage Repair shop. With present concernsix years. Would consider change wheregood and fast work is appreciated. Refer­ences as to character. honesty and ability.Married. Age 36. Want Column No. 1260.

First-class Tuner and player Technician desiresto locate with well-established music firm.Thoroughly experienced in every make ofplayer and reproducing piano. Will locate inany city where permanent position withopportunity for advancement is offered. WantColumn No. 1261.

Combination Tuner of straight Pianos andSalesman (graduate of Niles Bryant Schoolof Tuning), desires position. Want ColumnNo. 1262.

Expert all-around Piano Tuner and· Repair­man desires position with reliable house pref­erably in Southern states, but will go any-

First-class Tuner, Player and Reproducing manwould like to locate· anywhere east of Cali­fornia. Want Column No. 1264.

Piano Tuner also Player Repairman and Re­producer Mechanic desires position. Havecar and tools. Graduate of Polk College.Desire to locate in New York. Mass. or Vt.Want Column No. 1265.

Good Tuner and Playerman would like to locatein New York, R. I., N. J. or Penna. WantColumn No. 1266. .

Tuner and Playerman with 26 yrs. experienceon all makes of players,-also 1st class Ex­pert on Reproducers. Desires permanentposition. Member N.A.P.T. Willing totravel abroad as foreign representative.Want Column No. 1267.

Piano Tuner and Playerman would like threeor four days' work a week in New York Cityor Long Island. Want Column No. 1273.

HELP WANTED

Man to take charge of a branch store in aCoal Region City, by an old established pianofirm. Splendid opportunity for a man willingto work. Salary and commission. \Vritegiving full history of experience. All com­munications confidential. Want Column No.1268.

Two reliable Piano Tuners who thoroughlvunderstand Player-Salary $40.00. Positionspermanent. Located in Providence, R. I.Want Column No. 1269.

Competent Tuner familiar with aU makes ofReproducers. Salary $45.00 to $50.00, tolocate with reliable, concern in HartfordConn. Steady position. Want Column ~o.

1270.

Music dealer located in Charleston is in needof experienced Piano Tuner and Repairmanacquainted with Welte Mignon. Want Col­umn No. 1271.

MISCELLANEOUS

For Sale: Piano. and PhonQgraph business.Location northwestern part of Illinois, Cityabout 25,000. Alive and prosperous. Well­known makes of pianos and phonographs. Alive man can make a fortune at it. $4,000 to$6,000 necessary to take it over. Owner leav­ing city. Want Column No. 1272.

Putting the idea of "play" into work is :1 wise move, and must haveoriginated in a bright mind.

'Ve all ought to get as much enjoyment out of our jobs as the baseballplayer gets out of his,- for the professional ball~player of to-dayhas a real job on his hands, just as much as has the man in business.

And if we follow the same tactics in our business, calling, or profes­sion as the "player of games" does in his, we will assuredly reapa reward even greater than "gate'r~ceipts."

Errors are made in all games. The ball-player who never made anerror never played much.' And in the selling-game errors aremade, even by those most-skilled.

But errors occasionally made can be forgiven.

There are worse things in ·games than "errors." One of them is"crookedness." A crooked player, when once his crookedness isdiscovered, is ruled- out of the game, and becomes an outcast inpopular, opinion;

So it is in the Selling Game: play it "st-raight."" " -BARRY FANCHER.

The" Standard Pneumatic Action Company" has achieved thereputation of playing a "square ,game"; and the fans' app:audwhenever it comes to bat. Occaslonal errors it may have madein its ~xteen years "playing the game"; but, from office-boy topresident, the constant endeavor is,- to avoid errors, play thegame straight, and get as much joy out of your job as you can.

STANDARD PNEUMATIC ACTION CO.

1\ \ '"

638 West 52nd St.W. A. Mennie, Pres.

New York City